Certain types of articles, such as food or beverage containers, are commonly sold either as individual units or in a multi-container carton. Each article is normally marked with a pricing code to enable it to be scanned and automatically totaled at a retail outlet when sold as an individual item. When packaged in conventional open-ended wrap-around carriers, pricing errors can occur if the scanner sees the pricing code on one of the articles instead of the code on the package itself. One way to prevent this from happening is to package the articles in a completely enclosed carton or carrier. An enclosed carrier is quite expensive, however, compared to a wrap-around carrier due to the greater amount of stock required.
It is preferred instead to provide wrap-around carriers with partial end panels of a size sufficient to cover the pricing code on the end articles in the package. Such a design would require less stock than a fully enclosed carrier and be would correspondingly more economical to produce. Partial end panels designed to cover pricing codes located near the bottom of the article would require only a short panel extending up from the bottom panel. A problem facing such a design, however, arises in connection with wrap-around carriers whose bottom panel is formed from connected bottom panel flaps. The partial end panel must not interfere with the formation of the bottom panel nor with the ability to wrap the blank from which the carrier is formed tightly wrapped about the articles being packaged. In addition, the partial end panel should be capable of assisting in holding the end articles in place to prevent them from falling out of the carrier. This is especially difficult when the articles are curved, such as cylindrical beverage cans.